For many kiteboarders, learning how to ride a foilboard is something they’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t quite know how to get started. “What are my options? What equipment do I need? Is professional instruction available?”
We’ve outlined 4 easy pathways for kiters who want to learn how to foil. From Private Foilboarding Lessons to DIY assembling your own board, there are several different ways to join the fun and start foiling:
• The Easy Way: Fast-Lane to Success with REAL Pro Instruction
• The DIY Path: Start Foilboarding for $599
• The Plug-N-Play: Add a Complete Foilboarding Package to Your Quiver
• The Perfect Pairing: Pair a Complete Foilboard w/ a Foil-Friendly Kite
The Easy Way: Fast-Lane to Success with REAL Pro Instruction
With the most advanced foilboarding instructional program in the industry, REAL Watersports is the #1 place to learn to hydrofoil with REAL’s world-class kiteboarding coaches. Why make learning harder than it needs to be? Our foilboarding program is designed to teach you all the skills you need, some of which might not be obvious to someone exploring the sport for the first time on their own. Fast-track your progression by starting with a Private Foilboarding Lesson or 3-day Foil Camp, where you’ll cover the essentials of learning to foilboard. You will complete your first session or sessions, and leave with all the skills you need to keep riding or practicing on your own. When you combine your new skills with the incredibly user friendly Liquid Force Foil Fish Foilboard and a foil-friendly kite, your progression will be lightning quick and you’ll be flying like a seasoned foilboarder in no time!
The DIY Path: Start Foilboarding for $599
If you already have kite gear, assembling your own board to go on top of the Liquid Force Foil Package could be your cheapest possible way to get into the sport. Ringing in at only $599 with FREE shipping, the Liquid Force Foil Package can be mounted to any board you can think of if you’re the DIY type. Building your own custom foilboard deck or repurposing an old board into a foilboard can be loads of fun, and we have seen the Liquid Force Foil Package successfully bolted to all types of boards including wakeskates, skimboards, longboard skateboards, and even simple planks of wood.
Once you’re up and riding “on foil” (up gliding overtop of the water), the foil package is controlling the ride and the board just becomes a platform to balance on and to steer. This allows you to get creative with your craft and allows you to experiment with all shapes and sizes of foilboard decks.
The Plug-N-Play: Add a Foil Fish Complete Foilboarding Package to your quiver
A foilboarder can use most any style of kite to ride, and most kiteboarders will be able to use their foilboard with their existing kite quiver and get great results. One of the best things about having a foilboard in your arsenal is when the wind gets light you don’t need to buy huge light-wind specific kites, you can just go foilboarding on the same kites you normally use to ride your twintip.
Few other pieces of equipment will open up your kiteboarding world like a foilboard. From the ability to “tour” and cover huge distances with ease, to the fact that you’ll start getting excited about 12mph of wind, adding a foilboard to your kiteboarding quiver will greatly increase the number of days you’re out on the water having fun.
The Perfect Pairing: Pair a Foil Fish Foilboard with a kite that’s perfect for foilboarding
Having a foilboard that’s easy to learn on and a kite that’s ideal for foiling is going to make the process much easier. An ideal kite for foilboarding has a great windrange, good depower, better-than-average upwind performance and downwind drift, and easy water relaunch.
In our opinion, the Liquid Force Solo is a great kite for the beginner foilboarder to learn on, as it has all these characteristics and is built with Liquid Force’s durable bomb-proof construction. We have also had a great time foiling with the Slingshot Rally and the Core XR4, which like the Solo have huge wind range, great depower, and are easy to use across all conditions.
(REAL Pro Coach Jake Hoefler on the Liquid Force Foil Fish)
No matter which path you choose, when you’re learning to foilboard you always end up at the same place: having fun! There’s no feeling quite like swiftly flying over the water with a kite and a hydrofoil, and the wind range and upwind capabilities of a foil setup helps to unlock limitless potential for riding and exploring new areas.
We’re waiting to hear from you!
The REAL Pros are standing by 7 days a week with expert knowledge, pro customer service and the best gear advice. For more information about learning to foilboard, contact us via email, LiveChat, or call 252-987-6000.
BONUS Liquid Force Foil Fish instructional videos parts 1, 2 and 3:
DOUBLE BONUS More REAL Pro Coach Jake Hoefler on the Foil Fish: